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by zosimos
Summary: Reverse'verse: Their last summer in Resembool is getting off to a rocky start...


It was their last summer in the old Rockbell house. Granny Pinako had left the house to her, of course, but there really was no point to maintaining two houses. Alphonse had suggested they hang on to it as a summer home - a place to get away from the city in, and for several years they had done just that. Resembool was growing every day, and they'd had some offers - *good* offers - for the land. Offers enough that Winry could use the money to open her own automail clinic in East City and not have to operate out of the spare room in their small house.

When they spent the summers there Alphonse would take as much time off as he could get away with, and commute during the week if he had to. Winry would work still, checking up on her older clients who didn't travel out of town and taking the occasional customer in the old lab. But the summers were mostly for the children, giving them free run of the countryside and a chance to just be kids.

Speaking of kids, usually for a week or so Edward would join them and it would be strangely like old times. Except somewhere along the line they all became adults - though often it was hard to tell when Edward and Alphonse fought like schoolkids and Winry would come out of her workshop to find the three-year-old putting her own father and uncle in time-out.

This year, though. Winry cradled the handset of the phone between ear and shoulder, drying her hands from cleaning up the lunch dishes. "The kids will be crushed if you don't come down for at least the weekend," Winry said, frowning.

"It's a complete clusterfuck of idiocy," Edward's voice was tinny through the telephone wire. "I have never seen so much bullshit all at once, you'd think there were fifty head of steer trampling through here and not a handful of fucking bureaucrats." Edward sighed. "When I'm in charge I'm going to outlaw politicians."

"It doesn't work that way, Ed."

"Don't I know it." He sounded tired, and a lot older than Winry was used to hearing. "Shit, we were looking forward to this, too."

We. Winry twisted the phone cord in her fingers and tried to ignore the way her stomach seized at that. They'd played host to both Edward and Rian before, so she wasn't sure why the thought of them both here for a longer stretch of time bothered her so much. "Still, there's always the weekend..."

"We'll play it by ear, I guess," Edward's voice frizzed a little on the line. "I am very close to just locking these idiots in a room until they either sort this out or eat each other alive."

"The summer's just begun, you can always come later."

"Yeah, but it's nice NOW," Edward whinged. "Soon it gets ball-sweat hot and that's just not *fun*."

"Edward."

"What?"

"If I ever hear the term "ball-sweat" come out of your mouth again I will remove them both with a wrench."

Edward laughed. "That threat's so old it needs a cane, Winry."

"It's not a threat, it's a promise. Besides," she glanced toward the open door when she heard shrieks from outside. "Thomas has been begging to help with your automail maintenance and there's no better practice than a live subject."

"...you wouldn't."

"He has to learn somewhere," Winry said sweetly.

"Sara!" Alphonse's voice was clear even from far-off. "The dog is not a - get off the dog, he's not a pony! Off!"

Winry smiled as she heard more laughter and shrieking from outside. "If I send you this big kid who seems to think he can get away with rolling around outside instead of doing some housework, do you think you could get your work done any faster?"

"Nah, Al needs his vacation. Besides I've got some help coming in tomorrow. I hope to have things sorted out soon but you know how bad politicians like to fuck things up."

"Let us know, Ed. We're all looking forward to your visit."

Edward murmured his goodbyes and got off the line. Winry thoughtfully hung up the phone, wiping her already-dry hands unconsciously along the bottom of her work apron. Alphonse was outside playing with the kids, and she didn't have any more potential clients for the day, so that left her with cleaning up the work-room and then she could join her family.

Or she could just leave the work-room as it was and go outside to play.

Decision made, Winry slipped off the oil-stained apron and left it hanging off a chair, before walking to the open door and out into the summer afternoon.

* * *

Prompt #07 of 25: Summer


End file.
